Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - A Snowless Spring

A few minutes ago--

"He's here—ah!!"

The black-clad man's shout instantly turned into a scream. With Loxue on his shoulder, Nid swiftly snatched the short sword from the man's hand. He slashed forcefully into the air, and the slashes that spread in all directions immediately damaged the throats or hearts of the pursuing soldiers who surrounded him. But that was all— Nid's attack power relied too much on good weapons, and such a small short sword could only do so much!

(No, we won't be able to break through like this!)

He moved swiftly through the shadows of the pillars and furniture, glancing at the outer windows of the corridor. Through the antique, carved windowpanes, he could see a massive dark purple light membrane mixed with golden-white holy light, enveloping the entire house. It was a product of Brad's barrier and the Church's defensive magic, extremely sturdy, and impossible for him to break with his current armor! Even if an attack could be transmitted outside, no one else could get through!

(Or from underground? No, this thing is even encased underground!)

When Nid broke through the floor and escaped into the basement, his first thought was whether to use the stolen weapons to forcibly dig a tunnel out, but that was too unrealistic. First, he wasn't confident he could find the right direction to dig out; second, it was too reckless and time-consuming; and third—the shape of this barrier was like an egg, meaning the barrier existed even underground!

And now--

(Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!! More and more people are coming!)

While the Inquisition's members were dangerous, they were mostly assassins operating in the shadows; their combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced in a direct confrontation. However, the opposing side was clearly well-prepared. Through the windows, one could see the glow of numerous makeshift miniature teleportation arrays on the ground in the courtyard below. These miniature teleportation arrays were a type of advanced divine magic, existing only for a short time and transporting only a few people at a time. Unlike the large teleportation arrays of Sadington, they couldn't transport large numbers of people and supplies in a short period, but their advantage lay in their sheer quantity! One by one, knights clad in bronze armor emerged from the teleportation arrays—elite members of the Papal Imperial Guard. And in the center of them stood a handsome young man in magnificent armor—

(The Fourth Seat Templar Knight, Saladin Carlisle! Shouldn't he be the son and bodyguard of the Cardinal Archbishop? He actually led his troops here personally!)

This is troublesome. Although the fully armed Nid is naturally not afraid of the Fourth Seat, he noticed something even more troubling—since the Fourth Seat has intervened, it means this is definitely not just a private operation by the Inquisition. In that case, their inside man in the Cathedral of the True God couldn't possibly have missed this conspiracy! But why didn't the inside man report it? It's such a significant event! If he had received the news in advance, his sister could definitely devise a plan to turn the tables and take down both the Inquisition Chief and the Fourth Seat!

"Sister Xue..."

Now is not the time to think about these things.

Sister Xue is in critical condition.

We must break through this barrier quickly.

We need weapons. Therefore!

Nid whirled around and kicked open the hidden door. He'd arrived—finally, he was in his room on the third floor!

Sure enough, the large crate containing the weapons was still there. Brad probably never expected to escape the ambush, so he hadn't sent anyone to seize the crate beforehand. As long as he could get his own weapons, he was sure he could—

What can you do?

Are we sure we can break through?

Nid picked up his usual Greatsword and paused for a moment.

He is not alone now; he is carrying Loxue on one shoulder, which means he can only fight with one sword.

The court was one thing, but the Imperial Guard was also mobilized, making such a big fuss. They couldn't possibly not take precautions against their special abilities, such as wearing specially made armor with a vacuum layer.

The opponent makes the first move, while we make the second; the opponent is well-prepared, while we are caught off guard; the opponent has a large and powerful force, while we are fighting alone.

In this situation, how could he possibly break through the encirclement alone, carrying his dying sister and armed only with a sword?

(No, this is way too risky!!!)

But what else could they do? Hide here, watch their sister die, and wait to be captured by the Imperial Guard?

Is there anything else that can help me?

"..." some.

After a long time, Nid finally took another close look at the object that had been locked at the bottom of the box.

It was a silver-white crown, secured to the bottom of a box by several thin chains.

There are no intricate patterns, no dazzling jewels, and no exaggerated shapes. The crown's structure is very simple and grand; its mere presence exudes endless majesty, making one hesitant to look at it for long.

When the Saint Emperor was young, he unearthed two secret treasures from the ruins.

They are all the works of the Craft God.

One is a unique man-made divine Divine Artifact, the Emperor Slaying Sword.

The other one... is the Crown of the Saint Emperor, whose grade cannot be assessed. It is the key to summon the mechanical legion forged by the Craft God thousands of years ago.

It will only obey those it recognizes as having the qualities of a king.

Nid suddenly recalled the words the Saint Emperor had spoken to him in his dream.

"You are nothing but a puppet born of the people's wishes, a puppet crowned with the title of leader. You can only respond to the expectations of others, but you are incapable of forging your own future— Nid Bradwich, you are unworthy of this sword!"

"... tsk."

I don't care if you're a king or not.

Just breaking through to rescue my sister is enough.

Let's go back to the present.

"Gurgle... Ah... Ahh..."

Nid held Loxue in his arms and knelt on the ground in agony, barely able to stay conscious. The Crown of the Saint Emperor shone brightly on his head, and the unprecedented mental pressure almost drove him insane!

At the same time, beams of silver light converged before him, solidifying into four-meter-tall, silver-white mechanical behemoths! The moment they gained form, the behemoths roared, smashing through floors and walls as they charged forward. Sensing the will of the crown bearer, they transformed into pure machines of violence, slaughtering the men in black! Not only the members of the Inquisition, but even the Imperial Guard in the outer courtyard were not spared! The behemoths shattered the outer walls, roaring as they leaped into the courtyard, instantly killing many knights who had just been teleported and hadn't had time to react!

"What are all these things!?"

Saladin, the Fourth Seat Templar Knight, was taken aback by this sudden turn of events, but his sense of propriety as a top student prevented him from panicking.

"Reorganize your formation! They're nothing but a bunch of weak, useless scrap metal—dense!"

He stretched out his hand, and a giant soldier rushing towards him instantly froze in mid-air—or rather, it was fixed in place. The air in that space, which was originally extremely low in density, now became like concrete, forcibly fixing the giant soldier inside!

This is his special ability—to control the density of matter without altering its mass. Making air as hard as rock or steel as soft as cotton is effortless for him. If he were to use this in a fight against a person, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger. He could simply make the air around his opponent as dense as a solid, causing the opponent to suffocate and die because they couldn't breathe the solidified air.

"Loose!"

At a command, the ground beneath the giant soldiers immediately softened and sank, and they all sank in! Taking advantage of this opening, the Imperial Guard swarmed forward and launched a fierce attack, successfully eliminating the giant soldiers one by one!

"Thankfully, there aren't many of these. If there were too many, it would be a real hassle for me... Hmm?"

The light of the divine magic illuminated the night, and with his excellent eyesight, Saladin saw a shadow flash by in the corner of the courtyard.

--It's him!!!

"Attention everyone! Rebel Army Leader spotted! Don't let him escape!!!"

Hurry, hurry, hurry...

Nid carried Loxue, stumbling and staggering as they walked.

The crown on his head grew heavier and heavier, and the mental pressure became increasingly terrifying. His head ached terribly, as if countless thorns were emerging from the crown and piercing his skull! In the past, when Nid tried to use the Crown of the Saint Emperor, he could only last for less than a minute before collapsing from exhaustion, and he could only summon no more than ten giant mechanical soldiers. But this time, he far exceeded his previous limits, not only barely holding on for several minutes, but also summoning dozens of giant soldiers!

But it's almost at its limit.

"Give up, child." "You have no right to command us..." "Stop wasting your time." "You are not the Saint Emperor." "Stop, take a break, you can't bear this burden." "Stop struggling, it's too unsightly..."

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! These little voices kept lingering in his ears even after he put on the crown! Whether he was qualified or not, Nid had no choice!

"Finally... finally!!!"

We've arrived. We've finally arrived.

The edge of the barrier!

If we destroy this, we can escape!

--Wow! "!?"

A beam of light streaked overhead, followed by the sound of multiple footsteps. A deep male baritone growled, and a baritone shouted profanities. Brad and Selace must have caught up, but there was no time to worry about them now.

Hurry, hurry, hurry...

The ground beneath his feet suddenly softened and sank, and just before he fell, a giant soldier who had appeared beside him lifted him up. People also arrived from his right— Saladin and the Papal Imperial Guard —but they too had no time to pay attention to them.

Hurry, hurry--

Another layer of dark purple light blocked his path, but the two giant soldiers shattered this makeshift barrier with a single punch. Brad? But ignore him, continue—

Three steps, two steps,

Step--

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Nid let out a final roar, and several giant soldiers lunged at the barrier of the great barrier, their silver blades raining down upon it! Under this ferocious onslaught, cracks appeared on the barrier, spreading like a spider web! With a crack, a small gap finally appeared! Though small, it was enough for him to pass through!

"Stop them!!!!"

The remaining giant soldiers all stood behind Nid, blocking the pursuers and withstanding wave after wave of divine magic. Some were blocked by Brad's barrier, while others were fixed by Saladin's manipulation of air density. Nid held Loxue tightly as they rushed out of the rift. A strange power surged within him, and his legs, which had been sore and weak, regained their vitality, turning his stumbling trot into a sprint.

"They escaped... They've made it..."

The sounds of battle were left behind.

The pursuers were blocked by the giant soldiers.

Outside, the night sky and the streets of the small town were clear.

The evening breeze was so pleasant.

There are no new enemies.

With a clatter, the crown slipped off and fell to the ground.

The mental pressure has disappeared.

Nid finally smiled again.

I felt a sense of relief I had never felt before.

"Ha, ha... we escaped... Sis... we did it..."

"Seriously, that was too dangerous... I thought I was going to die..."

"Damn it... Brad was the mole, and we didn't even realize it..."

"When we get back, we must tell everyone... then reorganize our forces... and launch a full-scale attack on the Holy City..."

"Right? Sister? As long as you're here... as long as I'm here... we'll definitely succeed... just one last step... victory is in sight..."

"... Sis? Hey, at least answer me, honestly... I feel so silly talking to myself..."

Loxue's arm hung limply to the ground.

His face was completely bloodless.

"Hey... hey? Seriously, Sister Xue, you're joking with me again... sigh... where should I go next? Where can I finally shake them off? Enough already... stop holding your breath, sis, you're going to 'whoosh' open your eyes and scare me soon anyway... no... stop joking..."

Her chest remained still.

There was no heartbeat in my chest.

There is an unnatural stiffness in the joints of my body.

"I told you... I told you to stop joking! Sis! We escaped, we escaped! Let's stop joking, please stop scaring me! Please, please stop scaring me! Stop joking! Hurry up, open your eyes, stand up, let's go back together! Please, don't... wait... don't... it's impossible..."

The only response he received was deathly silence and a silent, lingering sorrow.

"You're kidding... It can't be real... Sis... Sister Xue... No... Tell me... This isn't real... No way... Ahhh... Ahhhhhhh... Waa..."

Spring has arrived. The snow has melted.

Nid heard the sound.

The sound of the world crumbling.

"Hey, they're here! They haven't gone far at all!"

"Seriously, they went through so much trouble..."

"Those silver guys have all disappeared, haven't they? There aren't any left, are there?"

"His crown fell off; it must have disappeared entirely."

"Regardless, the operation was a success."

"Take him down quickly."

"Don't act rashly! What if he—"

"Don't worry, Loxue is Nid's pillar. If Loxue dies, Nid will have nothing left. We even gave him a slow-acting poison that would drain his strength just to be on the safe side, but now it seems like we went to the wrong place."

Brad looked at Loxue, who lay dead on the ground, and at Nid, who knelt there, seemingly in a state of complete mental collapse.

"How tragic... Is this their fate...? It's utterly tragic."

"Anyway, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Brad."

"No need for you to say anything more, Selace."

"Could it be that you're still a little reluctant to part with them?"

"No, let it go?" Brad frowned, then sighed heavily.

"Whether I want to let go or not, I don't know anymore... I just feel so relieved, a relief I've never felt before. All of this, all this war, all this suffering, can finally end..."

"Tsk tsk, well then, what do you want after all this great service?"

"... What do you want?"

Brad saw the faces of his deceased wife and daughter.

What meaning does it hold for those who have passed away, even if they possessed endless wealth and glory?

"How about this... buy me a property in any secluded spot in Gloria, and a low-paying but not too busy job, so I can have a peaceful retirement."

"Is that all you ask for?"

"This is good, this is good... Waaah!?"

The sword pierced through his chest.

It brought out a large pool of blood.

Then—with a horizontal slash, the sword beautifully destroyed his heart completely, leaving him no room to resist.

"Ugh... Guh... What...?"

The phantom images of his deceased wife and daughter vanished, replaced by Selace's mocking face, looking down at him.

"I mean what I say. A peaceful old age—that's more than enough compensation... Bye-bye, Brad! You think I'd keep a traitor like you around? If you could betray these Revolutionary Army for such a ridiculous reason, who knows when you'll betray us for an even more ridiculous one? Get lost, you idiot!"

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Have you all guessed the meaning of the titles of the first few chapters?

Nid's Spring.

Spring came, and the snow (Loxue) disappeared.